ALSO TODAY: NDP marks National Day of Mourning via Facebook Live — Fortier hits virtual town hall circuit in Sudbury

MPs, start your webcams: The first-ever virtual meeting of the 338-member SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC is set to go live at noon EDT.

As previewed by Process Nerd last week, the newly created all-party panel is the result of a cross-aisle deal between the governing minority Liberals, the Bloc Quebecois and the New Democrats to ensure that the opposition can “get back to their constitutionally-assigned task of holding the … government to account” while still complying with the strict social distancing guidelines that have suspended regular House sittings.

Under the terms of the deal, the special committee is expected to assemble at least three times per week, including one in-person meet-up that will be held in the Chamber itself with a representative sampling of MPs on Wednesdays.

As per the official notice, today’s get-together will start with a round of “ministerial statements,” to which all parties will automatically get the right to reply, followed by 15 minutes of petitions before the main event: An extended 90-minute question-and-answer session that will give MPs the opportunity to quiz the government — including, at least for today, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau — over its handling of the pandemic.

In theory, all 338 MPs are on the invite list, but given the restriction imposed by both the technology and the clock, most will likely end up on mute for the duration of the meeting, which will nevertheless be broadcast live on the parliamentary website.

Before dialling into the conference call, Trudeau will deliver his usual morning update from outside Rideau Cottage, although according to his official itinerary, he’ll do so a few minutes earlier than usual at 11 AM EDT.

Meanwhile, New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh will join his caucus colleagues to mark the National Day of Mourning via Facebook Live, during which the party will not only pay tribute to “those who have lost their lives and have been injured at work,” they’ll also “salute those who are working on the frontlines of the pandemic.” (11:30 AM EDT)

ON AND AROUND THE HILL

The Parliamentary Budget Office releases new reports on the estimated cost of adding 10,000 reservists to the Canadian Armed Forces’ payroll as part of its COVID-19 “readiness efforts,” as well as the potential fiscal impact of deferring sales tax and customs duty payments until June. (9 AM)